Cross-Cultural Validation of the Sexual Desire Inventory (SDI-2) in 42 Countries and 26 Languages.

Sexual desire is a complex construct with important implications for sexual functioning and well-being. In this research, we translated the Sexual Desire Inventory (SDI-2), a widely used scale for assessing sexual (desire), into 25 languages from English and used data from the International Sex Survey (ISS) to (a) investigate its psychometric properties (i.e.

Routine Spironolactone in Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists have been shown to reduce mortality in patients after myocardial infarction with congestive heart failure. Whether routine use of spironolactone is beneficial after myocardial infarction is uncertain.

Methods: In this multicenter trial with a 2-by-2 factorial design, we randomly assigned patients with myocardial infarction who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention to receive either spironolactone or placebo and either colchicine or placebo.

Polymeric resins containing modified starch as environmentally friendly adsorbents for dyes and metal ions removal from wastewater.

Effective removal of organic and inorganic impurities by adsorption technique requires the preparation of new materials characterized by low production costs, significant sorption capacity, and reduced toxicity, derived from natural and renewable sources. To address these challenges, new adsorbents have been developed in the form of polymer microspheres based on ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and vinyl acetate (VA) (EGDMA/VA) containing starch (St) modified with boric acid (B) and dodecyl-S-thiuronium dodecylthioacetate (DiTDTA) for the removal of dyes: C.I.

ANN modeling and RSM optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction of protodioscin-rich extracts from Tribulus terrestris L.

Tribulus terrestris L. is a herb renowned for its abundance of saponins, flavonoids, and alkaloids, which are utilized in treating various health conditions. Protodioscin functions by enhancing the conversion of testosterone into potent dihydrotestosterone, stimulating an increase in libido, red blood cell production from the bone marrow, and muscle development.

Association between body mass index, muscle-to-fat ratio, and handgrip strength-to-BMI ratio with physical fitness in children from North Macedonia.

Background: this cross-sectional study, conducted on a convenience sample of 2197 Macedonian primary school children, aimed to examine how certain anthropometric indices (body mass index (BMI), muscle-fat ratio (MFR), hand grip strength-BMI ratio) are related to the physical fitness of individuals.

Methods: the sample was split into two groups based on gender: 1096 boys and 1101 girls (average age 8.1 ± 1.

Biophysical metabolic modeling of complex bacterial colony morphology.

Microbial colony growth is shaped by the physics of biomass propagation and nutrient diffusion, and by the metabolic reactions that organisms activate as a function of the surrounding environment. While microbial colonies have been explored using minimal models of growth and motility, full integration of biomass propagation and metabolism is still lacking. Here, building upon our framework for Computation of Microbial Ecosystems in Time and Space (COMETS), we combine dynamic flux balance modeling of metabolism with collective biomass propagation and demographic fluctuations to provide nuanced simulations of colonies.

Antioxidant and Pro-Oxidant Properties of Selected Clinically Applied Antibiotics: Therapeutic Insights.

Background: The balance between antioxidants and pro-oxidants plays a significant role in the context of oxidative stress, influenced by both physiological and non-physiological factors.

Objectives: In this study, 18 prescribed antibiotics (including doxycycline hydrochloride, tigecycline, rifampicin, tebipenem, cefuroxime, cefixime, potassium clavulanate, colistin, ampicillin, amoxicillin, amikacin, nalidixic acid, azithromycin, pipemidic acid trihydrate, pivmecillinam, aztreonam, fosfomycin sodium, and ciprofloxacin) were subjected to simultaneous determination of antioxidant and pro-oxidant potential to assess if pro-oxidant activity is a dominant co-mechanism of antibacterial activity or if any antibiotic exhibits a balanced effect.

Methods: This study presents a recently developed approach for the simultaneous assessment of antioxidant and pro-oxidant potential on a single microplate in situ, applied to prescribed antibiotics.

Living with COPD and its psychological effects on participating in community-based physical activity in Brazil: a qualitative study. Findings from the Breathe Well group.

Physical activity (PA) improves dyspnoea, psychological wellbeing and quality of life (QoL) for people with COPD reducing their risk of exacerbation. However, engagement in PA is low especially amongst those with anxiety and depression, and PA programmes are limited in countries with limited resources such as Brazil. We explored perceptions of 21 people with COPD about the impact of their disease on taking part in community-based PA programmes in Sao Paulo, Brazil through semi-structured telephone interviews from October 2020 to April 2021.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Cold Tolerance Mechanism in Honeybees ().

Honeybees are important pollinators worldwide that are closely related to agricultural production and ecological balance. The biological activities and geographical distribution of honeybees are strongly influenced by temperature. However, there is not much research on the cold tolerance of honeybees.

Towards harmonized laboratory methodologies in veterinary clinical bacteriology: outcomes of a European survey.

Introduction: Veterinary clinical microbiology laboratories play a key role in antimicrobial stewardship, surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and prevention of healthcare associated-infections. However, there is a shortage of international harmonized guidelines covering all steps of veterinary bacterial culture from sample receipt to reporting.

Methods: In order to gain insights, the European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Treatment (ENOVAT) designed an online survey focused on the practices and interpretive criteria used for bacterial culture and identification (C&ID), and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of animal bacterial pathogens.

Impact of hypertension on mortality in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary angioplasty: insights from the international multicenter ISACS-STEMI registry.

Background: Hypertension is the most prevalent cardiovascular risk factor, with several detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system. Contrasting results have been reported so far on its prognostic role in patients admitted for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Therefore, we investigated the impact of hypertension on short-term mortality in a large multicenter contemporary registry of STEMI patients, including patients treated during COVID-19 pandemic.

Unexpected intraoperative finding of a hyalinizing cholecystitis in a patient with gallbladder calculi.

Hyalinizing cholecystitis is a rare subtype of chronic cholecystitis in which the gallbladder tissue is replaced with hyaline sclerosis, more or less, and has a characteristic intraoperative appearance. Preoperative diagnosis is hard to establish. The entity is strongly associated with gallbladder carcinoma.

Access to diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy technologies for patients with cancer in the Baltic countries, eastern Europe, central Asia, and the Caucasus: a comprehensive analysis.

Background: Only 10-40% of patients with cancer in low-income and middle-income countries were able to access curative or palliative radiotherapy in 2015. We aimed to assess the current status of diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy services in the Baltic countries, eastern Europe, central Asia, and the Caucasus by collecting and analysing local data.

Methods: This Access to Radiotherapy (ART) comprehensive analysis used data from 12 countries: the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), two countries in eastern Europe (Moldova and Ukraine), four countries in central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan), and three countries in the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia), referred to here as the ART countries.

Chevrel's procedure for midline incisional hernia repair-not to be abandoned or forgotten.

The Chevrel technique is a well-established procedure for open repair of midline incisional hernia. This retrospective single-center case series aims to present the outcome of patients with midline incisional hernia treated with a modified Chevrel technique. The modification itself comprehended the use of a single-layer continuous suture for the inverted anterior rectus abdominis muscle sheet for the creation of the "new linea alba" without overlapping.

Advancing Patient Safety: The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Mitigating Healthcare-Associated Infections: A Systematic Review.

Background: Healthcare-associated infections are infections that patients acquire during hospitalization or while receiving healthcare in other facilities. They represent the most frequent negative outcome in healthcare, can be entirely prevented, and pose a burden in terms of financial and human costs. With the development of new AI and ML algorithms, hospitals could develop new and automated surveillance and prevention models for HAIs, leading to improved patient safety.

Imaging of Body Composition.

Body composition is now recognized to have a major impact on health and disease. Imaging enables its analysis in an objective and quantitative way through diverse techniques such as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasonography. This review article first surveys the methodological aspects underpinning the use of these modalities to assess body composition, highlighting their strengths and limitations as well as the set of parameters that they measure and their clinical relevance.

Comparing Loop and Divided Colostomy for Anorectal Malformation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: The optimal type of colostomy for patients with anorectal malformations (ARM) remains unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the clinical outcomes of loop colostomies (LC) versus divided colostomies (DC) in patients with ARM.

Methods: After review registration (PROSPERO: CRD42024513335), we searched multiple databases for comparative studies on LCs and DCs in patients with ARMs.

3D self-assembled polar . non-polar NiO nanoparticles nanoengineered from turbostratic Ni(OH)(NO) and ordered β-Ni(OH) intermediates.

A surfactant-free ammonia and carbamide precursor-modulated engineering of self-assembled flower-like 3D NiO nanostructures based on ordered β-Ni(OH) and turbostratic Ni(OH)(NO) nanoplate-structured intermediates is reported. By employing complementary structural and spectroscopic techniques, fundamental insights into structural and chemical transformations from intermediates to NiO nanoparticles (NPs) are provided. FTIR, Raman and DSC analyses show that the transformation of intermediates to NiO NPs involves subsequent loss of NO and OH species through a double-step phase transformation at 306 and 326 °C corresponding to the loss of free interlayer ions and HO species, respectively, followed by the loss of chemically bonded OH and NO ions.